Okanagan Valley moves to level two drought

The BC government has moved the Okanagan region to a level two drought, cautioning the public to prepare for potentially worsening conditions this summer.

According to the Okanagan Basin Water Board, the lack of water and moisture is beginning to impact everything from wildlife to wildfires.

“We need to be making sure that there is enough water for the food crops in the fall and the fish that are returning to our streams and of course make sure there is enough for firefighting,” said Corinne Jackson, Okanagan Basin Water Board.

A level two drought isn’t expected to severely impact the environment, however Jackson says that could quickly change if the valley doesn’t get enough rain. If the region does get to the point of a severe drought the effects could be damaging.

“Not only how much water, the temperature. So, obviously the lower the water the warmer it gets which is lethal for fish,” said Jackson.

“There needs to be enough in the creeks for fish and the greater ecosystems. Now is a good time to start thinking of how much water we use on our landscapes.”

4:29 Despite investment on fire preparedness, B.C. government says ‘difficult summer’ ahead

Even with the Okanagan being in drought level two, fire danger ratings aren’t a cause for serious concern heading into July.

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“It would take a sustained amount of rain to change a fire danger rating or to have any impact on an actual wildfire so things can dry quite quickly, it would just be dependent on if we’re seeing hot temperatures that are also resulting in a low relative humidity percentage as well,” said Melanie Bibeau, BC Wildfire Fire Information Officer.

“Fire danger rating is currently low to moderate which is quite favourable at this time of year. We will see if we do have any drying trends occurring or if we’re seeing any dry lighting or anything like that.”

According to meteorologist Yvonne Schalle some rain is in the forecast, but conditions are expected to remain dry.

“In the coming days, it’ll still be warm and dry. 24 and up to 30 degrees for daytime highs and dry until early next week,” said Schalle.

In 2021, the Okanagan hit a level four drought and it ended up being one of the worst wildfire seasons on record for the Kamloops Fire Centre.